The heat keeps coming
Dozens stricken at Placentia parade; Power lost in L.A.
A brutal heat wave continued to grip Southern California on Saturday, with temperatures hitting triple digits in Long Beach and downtown L.A.
Thousands of residents in West Los Angeles neighborhoods found themselves without power as a result of heat-related blackouts.
In Orange County, the annual Placentia Heritage Parade was ended early when 60 people — including participants and spectators — had to be treated for heat exhaustion, authorities said.
Twenty people were in serious enough condition to be taken to local hospitals, suffering from dizziness, nausea, incoherence and excessive sweating, said Orange County Fire Authority Capt. Larry Kurtz.
Six participants in the event’s high school marching band competition also suffered heat exhaustion and required treatment, Kurtz said. All of the patients were recovering well, he said.
Kurtz said that when he was at the event about 1 p.m., the temperature had hit 103 degrees.
As of 1 p.m., Long Beach and downtown L.A. reported temperatures of 100 degrees. It was slightly cooler at LAX: 98. The Whittier Hills area was among the hottest at 102 degrees. By 2 p.m., Fullerton also had hit 102.
In the last 24 hours, heatrelated blackouts were reported in parts of Westwood, downtown L.A., Hancock Park and Torrance, leaving thousands of residents and businesses without power.
By Saturday afternoon, much of the power was restored when thousands more residents in West L.A. found themselves without power.
Temperatures are expected to cool down through most of next week, said David Sweet, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service. Sunday is expected to be five to eight degrees cooler.
“Looks like we’ve seen the warmest temperatures for the next seven days. For the next seven days it will be cooler or stay the same, but this heat wave will be over,” Sweet said.
By Thursday, highs should be in the low 70s on the coast and low 80s inland, Sweet said. There will even be a slight chance of rain.